William h



W. H. IHILM'LR.

uMvmsAL 10m.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I4! 1915,

UNITED s'rA'TEs PATENT ornron.

WILLIAM H. THIEMER, F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE PETERS MACHINEAND MANUFAQTURING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

UNIVERSAL JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

Application filed March 14, 1919. Serial No. 282,558.

To all aria-om it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'ILLIAM H. TrrInMEn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland. in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Universal Joints, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to universal oints and has for its general objectto produce a joint wherein. the journals may be lubricated throughcentrifugal act1on 1n and through the employment of a central rotatablewell which is novel in construction and'slmple and economical ofproduction. I secure this result in and through the construction andarrangement of parts shown in the drawings, wherein Figure 1 representsa side elevation of a joint embodying my nvention; Fig. 2 a centrallongitudinal sectional view through such joint, certain of the partsbeing shown in elevation; and Fig. 3 a sectional view corresponding tothe line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Describing by reference characters the various parts illustrated herein,1 and 2 denote the end portions of shaft sections connected by my joint.The shaft section 1 is provided with a hub 3 which may be splinedthereto, the hub being shown as provided with a tapcred bore for thereception of the correspondingly tapered portion of the shaft/end. Atits extreme end. the shaft section is reduced and threaded for thereception of a nut 4 by means of which and the spline it is connected tothe hub.. The shaft section 2 is also splined to an elongated hub 5which is shown as extending beyond the end of the shaft andprovidingtherefor a lubricant well 6 having a filling opening closed by aremovable plugfi" and closed at its outer end by means of aconcavo-convex plate 7 forced to a seat 8. said plate being preferablywhat is known to the trade as a Velch plug. Extending transversely ofthe inner end of the hub is a supporting base or flange 9 having at eachend thereof a flanged projection 10 which is faced off and machined torovide an ac curate seat for the base of the bearing block, beingprovided with a shoulder 11 which is adapted to bear against and alinethe adjacent side 12' of the bearing block 12 with reference to atrunnion of the cross member. Each block is provided with a stud l3projecting from the base thereof into and nearly through a bore in theouter end of the base flange 9, the stud making a snug fit with saidbore and being internally threaded to receive a stud bolt 14. Each studbolt let is provided with a cylindrical head 15 adapted, when the boltis screwed home, to fit within an annular recess 16 formed within thebottom of each flanged projection of the base and constituting anenlargement of the bore thereof. The annular recesses 16 are preferablyeach of the same depth as the heads 15, whereby thebottoms of said headswill be substantially flush with the bottoms of their respective flangedprojections. Each bolt head may be slotted, as shown at 15", for thereception of a screw driver and, when the bolts are set up, they may beretained in place by merely staking or peening the metal at the base ofthe flanged projections into one or both ends of each slot.

The hub 3 is provided with a base 17 similar to the base 9 and havingseats for blocks 18 similar in construction and arrangement to thecorresponding parts carried by the hub 5.

20 denotes a ring constituting a. part at the cross member carrying thetrunnions t and connecting the two shaft the bearing blocks.

Mounted within the ring 20 is a cup, the said cup comprising a sectionhaving a eylindrical side wall 21 and an integral closme 22, thecylindrical side wall being secured to the inner face of the ring, as bybrazing. Cooperating with the first section is the second section of theon said second section comprising a eylin rical side wall 23 adapted tofit within the opposed side wall of the first section, the side wall ofthe sec and section being projected outwardly, as shown at 24, to bearagainst the inner surface of the ring, the walls 23 and 2% of the secondsection being united respectively to the wall 21 of the first sectionand the inner wall or surface of the ring, as by brazing. The second cupsection is also provided with a closure 25 so that, when the twosections are assembled, a closed Well is provided within the ring. Theinterior of this well is placed in communication with ends through saidtrunnions being radial ports in the trunnions by means of alinedopenings 26 in.the overlappingk side walls, said openings registeringwit the trunnion ports.

For the purpose of filling the central well, thus provided within thecross member, the said ring and the overlapping side walls of the wellmembers are provided with a filling opening 27 for lubricant, whichopening is adapted to be closed by means of a plug 28 threadedthereinto.

Projecting from the cross member are the trunnions 29. Each trunnion isshown as shorter than the bore 30 provided therefor in its bearing blockand is provided with a radial port 31, the inner end whereofcommunicates with the central well or cup through the openings 26. Theouter end of each bore 31 terminates within the body of its bearingblock, providing beyond the outer end of each trunnion a well 32 withwhich the outer end of a port 31 communicates. Surrounding each trunnionis a bushing 33.

The particular construction of the flanged bases, the bearing blocks,and the manner of mounting the journals in the same do not in theirdetails constitute any part of my invention, the arrangement shownherein being substantially identical with that embodied in theapplication of F rederick W. Peters, Serial No. 27 5,503, filed February7, 1919.

in operation, the lubricant well having been filled, the materialtherein will, through centrifugal action, be distributed outwardlythrough the radial ports 31 and into the wells 32. whence it will bedistributed to the "ournals.

I aving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of arotatable member having trunnions projecting therefrom, bearings forsaid trunnions, a cup within and secured to the inner wall of saidrotatable member, and ports communicating with said cup and servm toconduct lubricant from said cup to sai bearings.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of arotatable member haw in trunnions projecting therefrom, each of providedwith a radial port for the distribution of lubricant therethrough,bearings for said trunnions, and a cu within and secured to the innerwall of said rotatable member andhaving ports in its side communicatingwith the ports in the trunnions.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of arotatable member comprising a ring having trunnions projectingtherefrom, bearings for said trunmons, ports leading to said bearings,and a lubricant well within said ring and adapted to supply lubricant bycentrifugal action through said ports, the said well comprising a pairof cup members each havin an end closure and an annular side wa the sidewalls being united to each other and to the inner face of the ring, andsaid well having ports adapted to communicate. with the first men tionedports.

4. In a device of the character described.

the combination of a rotatable member conr' prising a ring havingtrunnions projecting therefrom, bearings for said trunnions, eachtrunnion having a radial port extending therethrough and throu h thesaid ring, and a lubricant well wit iin said ring and adapted to supplylubricant by centrifugal action through said ports, the said wellcomprising a pair of cup members each having an end closure and anannular side wall, the side walls being united to each other and to theinner face of the ring, and said well having ports adapted tocommunicate with the first mentioned ports.

In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatablemember comprising a ring having trunnions projecting therefrom, bearingsfor said trunnions, ports extending through said ring to said bearings,anda lubricant well within said ring and adapted to supply lubricant bycentrifugal action through said ports, the said well comprising a pairof cup members each having an end closure and an annular side wall, theside wall of one of said cup members extending across the said ports andbeing united to the inner surface of said ring and the side wall of theother cup member being fitted within the opposed portion of" the sidewall of the first member and united thereto and also bein united to theinner surface of said ring, t e overlapping portions of the side wallsof.said cup members being provided with alined openings adapted toregister with and form continuations of said parts.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WILLIAM H. THIEMER.

